Being Attacked by the Why's of Life?

Some things about kids never change. One of those eternal things is asking  “Why?”  You ask a child to come inside and they will ask why. Tell them to get ready for bed they will ask why. Tell them to put on their coat, and you get a why. Even explaining everyday things like the sun, the moon, the stars – you get a why. Kids just naturally want to know why. My own children asked it all the time and now I hear my grandchildren asking the same question.

We want to know why.  Irritations occur like being cut off in traffic and we hit our hands on the steering wheel and say why.  We have a flat on the way to work and wonder why. It rains and we forget our umbrella and wonder why. Most of our whys are a bit self-centered – just wishing we could have freedom from those little irritations of life that are inevitable.

Some of our why’s come when hard things enter our lives. Someone rejects us and we want to know why. We get passed over for a job and we ask why.  Young kids rebel and grown kids don’t live the way they were raised and again we wonder why.  A spouse walks away, a friend betrays you, someone passes way and again the why’s come up. These why’s are heartfelt – the pain is strong and we cry out to the heavens for some sort of explanation.

We blame ourselves with why’s as well.  Why did I do that? Why don’t they like me? Why have I gotten into this mess? If we only look to ourselves and our circumstances we’ll be done in. Eventually something irritating will happen to everyone. Eventually, something hard and extremely hurtful will enter into our world. If we just look to ourselves, to our own devices, we can become bitter, angry, frustrated, depressed, dejected and doomed.

Oh beloved, this morning you may be surrounded with the why’s of life. You may be blaming yourself, blaming others, blaming fate. You’ve grown tired of the struggle and you’re ready to pitch in the towel. You know you messed up. You know you deserve better. You know that you’re the only one in this hard, rough place with no sign of help.

But beloved! You can make it! Because God Himself is with you! For the believer, even in hard times, even in frustrating moments, even in rejection and fear and longings of the heart no one sees – God is with you! When you put your trust in the Name of Jesus Christ for your salvation, you can be sure that while you don’t see immediate reasons for life’s hardships, you can know that God is with you! Why? Because His Word is His Bond. His Cross is His reason. His empty grave is His proof. God loves you. He loves you when you mess up and wonder why. He loves you when friends quit you, spouses pass away, jobs play out and money gets tight. He loves you when your children disappoint you, when life gives you lemons, when no one else comes to your assistance. And because He loves you, beloved one, He is with you always – He will never leave you, He will never quit you, He will never turn away. He is with you on the side of the road when you have a flat, He is with you at the hospital bed when you have a loved one going home with Him. He is with you!

Rejoice this morning that you are loved and treasured and valued beyond any other creation. Rejoice that He knows your name and your days are written in His loving hand. Rejoice that all the why’s are not important because you know WHO is with you all the days of your life!

1 John 4:9 God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him.

Psalm 42:11 Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise Him again— my Savior and my God!

Psalm 62:5 Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him.

Need Anything? Step Up to Jehovah Jireh's Provision!

Yesterday someone snapped a photo of two friends and I. We were working together at breakfast. What you don’t see when you look at the photo is that I’m just a person who came in to help fill the plates for the teens and youth leaders. But behind the scenes the two women in the picture were actually up before dawn prepping and cooking the entire meal, with a group of kitchen volunteers. I just reaped a benefit of their work.


Sometimes it looks like Christians have it made. It’s a piece of cake. What is often unseen is the preparatory work Christ has done for us. Everything we have is given to us by Him. He prepared it all before the foundation of the world. Just like the ladies and the entire kitchen crew worked before the kids even woke up, so too God prepared everything we would need for life and godliness before we even knew Him.

Isn’t it wonderful to know that we can simply step in and fellowship with the Lord because He has it all laid out for us? All our hopes, our dreams, our desires are found already perfected in Him. He is not merely our way to salvation, He IS our Salvation! He is not merely the One Who feeds and clothes us, He makes a way for us to step up and walk into our faith, so that all we need is provided for us.

Oh beloved, run to the Lord’s buffet table of love! Thank Him for the unending provision He has given just for you! Thank Him that He loves you so incredibly that even if you walk through hard places, He will walk with you. He is always there. Before the foundation of the world He provided everything you will ever need. He loved you before you were born, He loves you now, He will love you always. Step up to the banquet and partake of all the delicacies He has just for you – love, joy, peace, faith, courage, victory, peace, and oh so much more. His provision is so huge that you can’t even see it all. But beloved, you can walk in it! What wondrous love is this that He has it already provided. What awesome care is this that He doesn’t send you out alone but walks with you all the way!

Genesis 22:14 Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means "the LORD will provide"). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."

Psalm 68:10 There Your people finally settled, and with a bountiful harvest, O God, You provided for Your needy people.

Isaiah 49:10 They will neither hunger nor thirst. The searing sun will not reach them anymore. For the LORD in His mercy will lead them beside cool waters.

Psalm 34:10 Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the LORD will lack no good thing.

Philippians 4:19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 9:8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.

James 1:17 Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.

You Are So Very Precious To God! Come and See...

As a young girl I went to more A.A. meetings than church services. Some would be aghast at that fact, yet I learned a lot about God at those meetings. I learned the Lord’s Prayer and could recite God’s Word at a very early age. The members recited those verses at the end of every meeting without fail.  I learned that everybody’s in the same boat regardless of their address, position or title. Each week there would be testimony from one after another of God helping them out of their struggles with alcohol and all would say, “But for the grace of God…”  I learned encouragement.  One would stand up to get their one month coin, while another would stand and get their 30 year coin.  Everyone was congratulated no matter how young or old they were in the program.  I learned humility. I watched as my parents would bring in folks off the streets who had asked for help. One friend in particular came to live with us a while. She would sleep on the floor in our living room when she came in from work because as she said, “I’m too dirty to get in your beautiful bed and too tired to clean up”.  That woman is now in her 80’s and she’s still my friend and we talk occasionally. 

Probably the greatest thing I learned was the importance of celebrating one another.  Birthday cakes abounded as one after another passed milestones of sobriety.  I can’t find anywhere in God’s Word that we are to be crude with one another, rude to each other or bossy and insensitive.  Nobody ever stood at the lectern and brow beat or bad mouthed the audience.  Even in the discussion of right and wrong there was always a note of tenderness for everyone remembered that they all came from the same gutter into the light. 

Oh beloved, you are so precious to God! He speaks kind words into your life as He woos you to come out of your darkness and into His Light.  He knows everything about you and loves you all the more!  His plans for you are good and kind and generous! He tenderly calls you today! No matter if you’ve missed the mark over and over, there’s still today and this day is fresh and new! Reach out for His Hand that is always extended to you in grace, mercy and peace! You are loved so much that you were worth dying for! Now run to the One Who rose again so that you can walk in newness of life!

 Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (NAS)

Psalm 119:11 Your Word have I hid in my heart, that I may not sin against You.

2 Corinthians 8:9  For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. (NAS)

Psalm 135:3  Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; celebrate His lovely name with music.

Lamentations 3:22-23 The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease.  Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.